Fred Weasley and the American Muggle
by thisbe gwydion
Summary: Fred and George are expanding, setting up shop in New York while George prepares for his wedding. So, when Fred finds himself wandering the streets of New York in the pouring rain, will he bother to pursue the beautiful woman he walked into?
1. Coffee

**Coffee  
**_Chapter 1_

Fred walked down the dreary streets of New York City in his finest muggle clothes. He and George were opening another shop on a street of wizard vendors and this was Fred's third trip to the large city. He kept his head down as he walked through the rain. He knew he had to aparate back to his has soon, George was having an engagement party in little under an hour, but he continued to walk through the streets for no reason. He felt compelled to walk, to not go back to the house he was being forced out of in a few months.

George and Katie had already set a date for the wedding, December, three months from the twins twenty-forth birthdays. He had to open a new shop, find a new place, write a speech, and plan a honeymoon in the next five months. He knew it wasn't much, but he was happy to be busy, even if he didn't want his brother to get married.

He felt something collide with his shoulder and he looked up as he spun around to see what he had walked into.

"I'm so sorry," he said to the beautiful woman facing him.

"It's okay," she replied after hearing his thick British accent. She couldn't help but become drawn to him, his red locks soaked to his head and his blue eyes shining brightly. It also helped that she was a sucker for foreign accents.

"No, my fault, wasn't watching where I was walking," he said not wanting the woman to leave. She was so beautiful, like an angel with curly golden brown hair that was drooping from the rain. Her lips were an appetizing pink while her eyes were a deep amber that seemed to hold the world in them.

"Buy me a coffee and I'll forget about it," she said daringly.

Fred had never known a girl to ask him for a date, plenty of witches approached him in the joke shop, but never asked him for a date, but was this a date?

"I'd love too, but I don't know where to get one," he said wanting to pull his wand out and conjure two steaming cups of coffee, even though he didn't like them, but he was on a muggle street and suspected the amber-eyed beauty was a muggle, too.

"I'll show you, if you have American money of course," she said with a joking smile.

Fred dug deep into his pocket and pulled out what he had. He had switched some of his money on his first trip, but he had no idea how it worked. He held in his hand a tight roll of bills, unsure how much it was worth.

"Right this way, sir," she said before taking Fred's cold hand into hers, which was warm, reminding Fred of a summer day at the Burrow. She pulled him down the streets while Fred pushed the money back into his pocket and ran along with the girl.. She eventually pulled him into a small shop and he watched adoringly as she shook the water from her hair.

She pulled him over to a booth and they sat down across from each other.

"Ani," she said with a smile as she extended her hand over the table.

Fred took the woman's hand and kissed it softly, which was his normal habit when a beautiful girl held her hand out, "Your name again?" he asked politely.

"Uh, um, Ani," she said after stumbling around a bit and looking at Fred oddly. She pulled her hand back slowly and touched the spot his lips had touched, which had sent tingles through her hand to her heart.

"And your name?" she asked cautiously. He seemed odd now that she thought about it. What normal man walked around New York City with a large wad of cash in his pocket and kissed women's hands.

"Fred," he said with a smile.

The woman forgot about how odd Fred was and enjoyed more than just one coffee with him. She laughed at all of his jokes and started to like his little quirks.

Fred was feeling much the same way, though he hated the coffee. He sipped it slowly and as he took one sip he caught a glimpse of his watch. "Bloody hell," he said after spitting his coffee back into his cup in surprise. "I, uh, have to run," he said as he pulled the wad of cash from his pocket. He threw a bill on the table hoping it would cover the tab.

"Wait," the girl said not wanting him to leave. Even though he was odd, he as charming and sweet and she thought he was definitely from a different world. "Are you going to be here long?" she asked hoping she could see him again.

"No, I'm going back to London," he said as he stood up. "Um," he said as he began to think of what Harry and Hermione had called the muggle communication. He tapped his foot and rubbed his closed eyes as he thought, "Telephone," he said excitedly. "Can I have your telephone number."

She again thought he was odd, as he had to fight to remember the name of a telephone, but it wasn't creepy, it was quaint. "Sure," she said before writing her number on a napkin and handing it to him.

He held the napkin gingerly and before running from the shop he kissed her on the cheek quickly. He ran into a deserted alley and after making sure no one would see he aparated to his house, where George was waiting ready to kill him.

"What have you been doing?" he asked angrily before waving his wand at Fred. Fred looked down, in one hand he held the napkin and in the other his wand, and instead of the soaked muggle suit he was wearing a pair of dress robes.

"Business," Fred lied before walking to his room. He set the napkin on his dresser and running a towel over his wet hair before walking down to his brother.

"Mum and Dad will be here any minute," George said as he looked at his watch. He began to pace back and forth as if he were stressed out, but the twins never got stressed out, never.

"What happened, George?" he said worried someone had been hurt or killed.

George looked at is twin, ignoring Katie who had just walked into the room, "Oh, nothing, unless you count Percy refusing to come after all these years and Harry and Ron getting attacked."

"Are they okay?" Fred asked worried that the two were dead or stuck in St. Mungos for the rest of their lives.

"Oh yeah, Harry just had to regrow a finger and Ron's arms are cut up again," George said before their parents aparated next to Katie.

Fred had to push the attacks and the woman from his mind as the guests arrived. Charlie showed up in the fireplace with his youngest child, a red haired infant, in his arms while the older one held to tightly to his legs. His wife came next carrying the usual large assortment of baby things. Bill arrived in the fireplace with his only child, and Fleur followed him, her stomach bulging. Harry and Ginny aparated, and Fred noticed that Harry was playing with what he guessed was recently regrown while Ginny elbowed him. Ron arrived through the front door, having been forced not to do too much magic and using the knight bus. Hermione was right behind him.

Lee Jordan arrived with his latest girlfriend, a witch Fred remembered winking at him in the store. Oliver Wood arrived, his wedding band still shining brightly, escorting the girl that was once Angelina Johnson, but now Angelina Wood. Most of the guests arrived at once, Fred was unable to welcome them all, considering they had invited most of their old Gryffindor friends and a lot of business owners in Diagon Alley.

Fred walked into past Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Hermione, both of the girls yelling at the two boys to stop scratching, in Ron's case, or playing with their wounds from the attack.

"Oy, Hermione, I'm a big boy now," he heard Ron say before he began to scratch at his arms again.

Fred helped clean up after the party and he walked slowly up the stairs as George was saying to goodnight to Katie. He could here their whispers, which he knew contained the sappy words professing their love for each other. He rolled his eyes at them and walked into his room. He undressed quickly and looked at the napkin for a few minutes before lying in his bed. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes, waiting for sleep to claim him. He was thinking of the girl, how beautiful she was.

"I could marry a muggle," he said oddly before falling asleep.

- - - - -

A/N: You've taken the time to read... so please review!


	2. Telephones

**Telephones**

_Chapter 2_

Fred starred at the napkin. She was a phone call away, but could he call her? Could he trust himself to not act like a fool? He hadn't acted like a fool when they had coffee, so why was he getting so worked up over it? She was beautiful, yes, but not that extraordinary really. She wouldn't be so beautiful without those amazing eyes, bright smile, the curly locks that seemed to bounce with her step, even when they were soaked, and the way her slender body wasn't rail thin, but perfectly curved and toned. So really, take away all that stuff, and you would have an intelligent, clever, creative, daring, mischievous woman.

He could just call her and see if things work out okay, and if they did, great, if not, so what? He was twenty-two, he didn't have to worry about getting married, so why was he?

"Stupid George," he said out loud. Of course, George was getting married, that's why Fred cared. It wasn't the extraordinary women, whose amber eyes were stuck in Fred's eyes, and those eyes that seemed to hold another world filled with adventure and love, that was making him think of marriage, but George getting married. "Stupid George," he said again trying to convince himself that George was the real reason he was thinking of marriage.

Fred shoved the napkin into the pocket of his robes and refocused on the product he was working on. He needed George's help; neither of them could finish a product by themselves. Fred sighed and went on to the product George had been working on. He finished it easily and set it in the testing box, causing him to miss his twin. They had always worked together, not separately as they were now. George said it would go back to normal after the wedding and the new shop was up, but Fred doubted it. He thought his twin would be stuck cleaning the house while Fred was forced to accept at least one date to stop the people from talking about him.

Fred looked at his watch as he thought about his brother. A month had passed and Katie was involving George in the wedding plans more than he wanted, or that's what he told Fred at least. Fred finally focused on actually getting the time; he had to pack for his weeklong trip to New York.

He walked out of their basement and into the store, and gave a quick wave of his wand to make everything was back in its proper place before locking the doors and aparating home.

He changed in to a casual pair of robes before getting Hermione and Ginny's apartment on the fireplace.

"Oy, Hermione," he yelled expecting one of the girls to appear, but instead Harry and Ron walked into the living room with large sandwiches in their hands.

"'Ey, Fed," Ron said through a mouthful of food, and for some reason Fred thought he looked so young and naïve, maybe even dumbfounded.

"Harry, can you use a telephone?" he asked not wanting to waste time with idle chit chat.

"Yeah," Harry replied after swallowing his food, "Hermione has one here if you want." Fred watched as he pointed to an odd looking object on a table.

"Taught me how to use it, easy, I say," Ron said before taking another bite.

"Tell me how, then, mate," Fred said and paid close attention as the two men struggled to teach him how to use the phone without him actually touching it. "Right then, bye," he said as they begin to ask him why he wanted to use the phone. He pulled his head out of the fire and stood up.

Thoughts of the amber eyed beauty same in Fred's head as he walked up the stairs to his bed room. He waved his wand around, causing everything he needed to float into his trunk. He locked his trunk with a swift flick and crawled into his bed. He fell asleep, the thoughts of the woman in his mind converting into dreams.

He woke up a few hours later with a smile on his face. He grabbed his trunk and lugged it down the stairs, an odd smile still simmering on his lips. He threw some powder into the fireplace and was taken to the small inn he had found on his last trip. He found his room and walked out into the warm sunshine. Through the windows, shelves could be seen flying around while paint brushes moved up and down the walls by themselves. Fred knew the store would be done ahead of schedule; he'd be able to put products on the shelves before the end of his trip.

He walked into the shop and back into an office, he had to rent the apartment out to someone. The twins had offered it to Lee Jordan, who was going to run the new store, but he bought a house down the road. Colin Creevey was also showing up sometime during the week to photograph the store for the Daily Prophet. He couldn't count all the meetings he had, but they didn't seem as tedious when he thought of the napkin in his pocket and the woman who had written her name on it.

A few hours later after countless conversations that Fred thought were almost meaningless considering the people still did the wrong then anyway; Fred sent everyone out of the store and found the only Muggle phone on the magical street.

He stood looking at the phone for a few minutes before actually dialing. After two rings he heard a male voice answer the phone and he thought he'd dialed the wrong number. He asked for the woman anyway.

"Is, um, Hi, can I speak with Ani?" he said unsure if he was asking the right question or not. He waited with his fingers crossed as the man took his time answering.

He gave a curt reply which Fred didn't catch before he heard her voice. "Hello?" she asked sounding, to Fred's ears, like an angel. He remembered it from the coffee shop, though he was unsure if he would be able too.

"Oy, it's Fred," he said in greeting. He hoped she remembered him, maybe even that she had thought of him as much as he had thought of her.

"Really?" she asked amazed that he had called. She had thought he had blown her off or lost her number. "I'm so glad that you called," she said before biting her tongue. She hadn't meant to say that.

"I'm glad you remember," he said smiling widely; maybe she did feel the same draw to him as he had for her. "Would you like to meet me for dinner?" he asked suavely. He had never wanted to date a woman so much or to have her actually like him. He had hated to ask women from the store for dates and would hope the entire meal that they would hate him, or fall in love with George instead.

An hour later they arrived at the restaurant, each with butterflies in their stomach. Dinner went better than Fred could have imaged, as if one of his dreams had come to life, and they left the restaurant arm in arm. The walked down the street talking happily, and to the passerby they looked as if they had known each other for years or were old friends reunited. Their arms were both tingling form the other's touch, but they were unsure if it was good or bad, and ignored it.

Fred let the woman lead him down the streets not really paying attention to where they were going and he didn't realize they were standing in a hallway until minutes after they had stopped. He assumed they were at her apartment, but he didn't want to leave, even though he knew he had to go. He had to talk to George before getting a good nights rest before another stressful day at the store.

"I hope I'll see you later," the woman said as she opened her door. She looked back at him, and as she leaned towards him she placed her hand on his shoulder to push herself up. She kissed him softly on the cheek before going into her apartment and shutting the door.

Fred raised his hand to his cheek, his fingertips lightly touching the tingling part of his cheek that her lips had touched. He had no idea that she was watching him through the peephole with the same adoring eyes he had watched her with the day she shook the water from her hair.

Fred, still half in a daze from the date and the odd way his cheek was still tingling from the kiss, found the most deserted and blocked place he could to aparate back to his room at the inn. He didn't really pay attention to George's head which was talking like a madman in the fire place. He went to bed still not thinking of anything but his date.

He woke up and the spent the entire day thinking of the woman, he couldn't wait to get away from the store and call her.

He dialed the number quickly and smiled when she answered the phone, "Oy, beautiful," he said happily.

"Hi, Fred," she sounded rushed, why did she sound rushed? Fred hoped she wouldn't be to busy to go on their date.

"Are you busy?" he asked as he crossed his fingers.

"I have to study," she said using the four words Fred hated.

"I'll help," he said before hitting himself in the head. He hated studying; he was an anti-studier and everything else that had to do with studying. Why did he do that?

"Really?" she asked think that he didn't seem like the studying type.

"Love too," he said before hitting himself again.

They met at a library and Fred didn't mind helping her study. They sat across from each other, Fred finding the information she needed for not only studying but writing an essay, though it wasn't measured like wizard essays.

"So, you're telling me you think all these mythical creatures," he said saying the word "mythical" as if it weren't even a word, "aren't and never were real?" He was amazed at the close-mindedness of muggles.

"Come on Fred, can you really tell me you think dragons and centaurs and giants are real?" she asked him quizzically. This, in her mind, was the oddest thing about him. He seemed so sure that the creatures weren't mythical, which was impossible to her.

Fred looked at her with one eye brow cocked and his business face on, "And if one day I proved you wrong, what then?"

"That's impossible," she said not realizing that as they were talking their faces were growing closer and closer.

"Humor me," he said before leaning back. He hadn't known their faces were almost touching, their lips almost grazing each other.

She leaned back too, "I'd wash your dirty, smelly socks," she said with a childish smile.

"I'll remember that," he said before letting her go back to her paper.

They continued to work silently and when she had finished her paper, which was very late into the night, they walked outside, Fred carrying her bag filled with books, as they walked again arm in arm.

"So, what year are you in?" he asked hoping she was in some type of secondary training, but he had never known any one who had to do so much research for anything except school, not even Hermione had studied that many books and she was an Unspeakable.

"Well, I got my degree last year," she said and Fred nodded not knowing what she meant, "and now I'm working on my masters, but I'm only twenty-one, if that's what you wanted to know."

Fred was confused by everything except her age, which he fully understood.

They spend the rest of the week crossing their fingers that the other wouldn't be busy or would call, and after they got over the wishing phase of the day, they would spend as much time together, going to a museum, the quaint little shops in the eclectic part of New York, the tiny restaurants that held the best food, a Broadway show, which Fred loved, until it was their last night.

"You can call me from London, you know," Ani said as she stood in her doorway.

Fred smiled, "I will," he said as he took a small step towards her.

Fred kissed her softly, wrapping his arms around her body. He pulled her slender body into his and felt her hands cup his head. He felt his entire body tingle, starting from his heart and he wanted to live in the moment, the way their lips moved fervently yet gracefully against each others. Fred hadn't expected their first kiss to feel so ecstatic, though his cheek was usually tingling as he walked away from her apartment every night.

He pulled back slowly and reluctantly and she pulled him into a hug.

"I don't want a long distance relationship," the both said, almost in unison.

"Just friends then," she said before squeezing him a little tighter.

"Yeah," he said as after pulling back. He caressed her face, his hand starting at her forehead and ending on her chin, where it lingered. "Good bye," he said before walking away, only letting his hand fall to his side when he was out of reach of her. She watched him walk down the hall before going back inside.

- - - - -

A/N: You've taken the time to read... so please review!


	3. Planes

**Planes**

_Chapter 3_

Fred thought abut Ani nonstop. Her golden brown curls accented perfectly by her amazing amber eyes helped him through nagging customers and the stream of witches the entered the store to entice him.

He envied George for a second when Pansy Parkinson batted her eyes at him. Her robes were ragged, her parents getting fired from the ministry was the cause. With the lost of their salary and their fortune to Voldemort, they were barely able to scrape by.

Fred grimaced as her fingers caressed his arm seductively. The situation made him want to laugh. Just years ago, his last name had left her mouth dripping with venom, but now it was coated with a sticky tasteless honey.

Katie walked into the store and was a meter away when Fred seized his only opportunity to rid himself of Pansy.

"Oy, love," he said dramatically before pulling Katie into a large hug. "Play along," he whispered into her hear before pulling back and giving her a sloppy unemotional kiss.

"Oh, George," Katie said with a smirk, "I've missed you." She loved to bother the annoying witches that entered the store only to chase Fred and sometimes George. This particular witch stared with amazement than walked hurriedly from the store with her cheeks burning a bright red.

"Smashing good performance," Fred yelled to Katie as she walked to the back room where George was going over the books. He had been squeezing knuts since their engagement and spent all his free time looking at numbers. Fred was unsure why he was so concerned with money, the store was booming and the new store cost only a fraction of their wealth.

Fred stayed in the front of the store, his elbows resting on the table in front of him, and his head on his hands. He stared lazily out the window at the people hurrying down the street. He noticed that no students walked through the street rushing to get new robes or books, or more commonly Skiving Snack Boxes. He liked the calm of September; it had opened a new line for the shop. From their childhood they had pulled one of their favorite pranks and altered it to make a perfect product, stuffed animals that moved and crawled on their own. They had also made a few great candies for the younger generation of customers, chewing gum that made the chewer blow large soapy bubbles from their mouth, toffees that turned ones face different colors, even some quidditch inspired colors.

Fred watched as two young children with bright red hair ran through the street and saw Bill and Charlie chasing after them. Bill's hair glided in the wind along with his robes as he chased his first child. Minutes later the four entered the store. Fred's niece and nephew ran to him and hugged his legs each yelling a different name, their usual custom.

Fred looked down at them, one four and the other three. They looked perfect as Fred squeezed them tightly.

"Oy, did I hear my ickle whittle niece and nephew?" George said loudly as he emerged from the back room. The two children quickly dashed to George, again each yelling a different name.

Fred watched almost longingly, and he shook his head as a thought of having his own kids entering his head. He couldn't help but wonder if they'd be as cute as his brother's children, if they'd have the flaming Weasley red hair, or like Charlie's youngest, hair like their mothers.

Fred shook his head; he didn't want kids or a wife. He didn't even want to be in a relationship. He hadn't lied when he had told Ani he hadn't wanted a relationship, especially one that spanned an ocean. You couldn't start a relationship from different sides of the world, let alone different worlds. She was a muggle and he was a wizard, it would be hard enough to have a relationship without distance being a problem, but that didn't stop him from thinking about her and kids and marriage.

"Oy, Fred," Bill said bringing Fred out of his thoughts of sending his own kids off to Hogwarts with Ani by his side. "Your robe is ringing," he said and Fred finally heard his tiny phone going off.

He pulled the silver object from his pocket and turned it on. "Hello?" he asked wondering if anyone would answer.

"Fred!" Ani yelled frantically. She sounded scared. "You're alive, I'm so glad. I thought you might've been in."

Fred was unsure what was going on, "Are you okay?" he asked thinking she had lost her mind.

"Yes, I'm okay, I'm no where near where they hit, but I'm so scared," she said still frantic. He wanted to go to her, to see what was wrong.

He looked at his brothers, "I am, I'm in New York," he lied knowing it was only seconds away. His brothers looked at him oddly. "where are you?" he asked knowing he had to go to her.

"My apartment," she said, "Fred don't come, stay where you are, what if there is another attack."

Fred felt scared for a minute, attack? What did she mean by that? "I'll be over in ten minutes," he said before hanging up.

He looked up at his brothers; they each were staring at him confused. He had no idea what had just happened himself. There had been an attack, something had hit something, but what did that mean?

"What's going on, Fred?" Charlie asked in a fatherly tone. Even the children had gone silent; everyone was waiting for his reply.

"I-I have to go," he said before walking out of the store. He changed his clothes with the swish of his wand and walked into muggle London. He needed to figure out what was happening in the muggle world, why Ani had been so frantic and worried.

He noticed a bunch of people staring in a store window and walked over to them. He pushed himself in and he watched on a small box as a plane flew into a large tower, one he recognized. He shivered and felt a pain in his heart just as the plane collided with the tower. He watched the footage for a few minutes until a tear rolled down his eye and he forced him self to leave. He walked into an alley and aparated to an empty stairwell near Ani's apartment.

He knocked on his door wandering how close she was to those buildings and how many people she knew that lived in them.

She opened the door, her eyes were red and puffy and her hair was pulled back messily. She wore glasses and a baggy t-shirt and baggy cotton bottoms. Her cheeks were wet and Fred swept her into his arms. She looked terrified and horrified. He knew that to her it meant so much more than a building and the lives of people. He had heard that it was a terrorist attack, but what did that mean? Wizards didn't have terrorists, they had dark wizards, were they the same? Was Voldemort a terrorist? He had terrorized people for decades, some where still afraid to say his name.

He walked into the apartment, Ani still in his arms. He kicked the door shut and walked Ani to a couch. She had larger box then the store window, but the same footage was playing over and over. Fred watched with Ani curled in his arms. Her phone would ring every so often and she would have a brief conversation every time she answered. The callers usually wanted assurance that she was alive before Fred assumed they went on to the next person.

Fred felt so helpless as he watched the box. He wondered if he could save those peoples lives. He could aparate in, but he couldn't take someone out with him. He was sure there were no fireplaces in which he could floo the people out. He just wanted to help, so that all those people didn't have to suffer.

A few hours passed and in the silence Fred began to wonder if their had been a link between Harry and Ron getting attacked so much and all the terrorist attacks. Surely, this had just been a muggle attacking a muggle or could it have broken the barrier and crossed into two worlds?

Ani got up to go to the bathroom and Fred scribbled a note and sent it to George with a tap of his wand. He hoped his brother would understand. He hadn't told him everything about Ani; he had said nothing of the fact that she was a muggle or that Fred couldn't stop thinking about her or that he often found himself imagining a future with her.

He made some tea quickly before returning to the couch. He watched Ani sip the tea slowly, her face glistening beautifully from the tears.

Her face didn't hold any joy, and he imagined his didn't either. She had always had a joyful radiance that surrounded her, but right now, it was gone. She seemed heartbroken and terrified, eerily quiet and so scared she dare not speak for fear of crying uncontrollably.

::I never originally intended to include the WTC attacks in my story, but I realized that I had chosen to write my story inadvertently at the same time as the attacks. I know that to describe any person's feelings, muggle or wizard, or more importantly American or foreigner, on that day is almost impossible, as words cannot describe the blind terror that was instilled in all our hearts. I hope that my story helps us to understand the event which we haven't forgotten but pushed from our minds as a way of coping. I'm sure I'm not the only one that gets chills down my spine when I spend to much time thinking about the attacks or when the anniversary rolls around and one can't help but think of the horrible things that transpired on that day so long ago. Thisbe Gwydion::


	4. Men

**Men**  
_Chapter 4_

Fred fell asleep with Ani in his arms, the smell of her hair lulling him into a dream-filled sleep. The planes and the buildings did not come up once in his dreams as he hugged Ani like a small child clung to a teddy bear. Ani had fallen asleep too, almost at the same time as Fred. They had been watching the news broadcast for hours and the sun had begun its decent minutes before the two fell asleep. As their eyes began to flutter shut, the room was a bright red while the atmosphere seemed to be filled with a heavy red fog.

The door shut loudly and Fred woke up immediately. He had only been asleep for an hour but the room was completely dark except for the television that was still on. He watched as Ani stood and walked towards the door before he actually looked in the direction of the door.

A man stood there, his eyes a dull grey and his hair a similarly dull brown. He stood as tall as Ani, the comparison easy to see when she hugged him as she would a brother. His body was thin, rail thin, but he looked strong and tough. His frame was thin yet broad, making him seem even more like twigs wrapped in cloth.

Fred heard the two whisper and was not jealous. He did not feel threatened by the man, maybe it was his appearance, the way he did not seem as vivid, or the way Ani did not linger with him as she did with Fred, but he was comfortable with her hugging him.

She walked back over to Fred, the man following closely. "This is Greg," she said as she looked deep into Fred's eyes. Fred felt once more as if he could see another world in her eyes.

"Fred," he said as he held out his hand. He was not happy, no one could be happy on a day like that one, but he was kind and warm. The man took Fred's hand and Fred felt as if he was shaking ice. The man seemed so dull and cold that Fred almost felt sorry for him.

"Can I talk to you, Ani?" the man said, his voice sounding as if he were slightly angry. Fred pushed it aside assuming it was from the day's events that he seemed so mean with Ani.

The two walked into the kitchen and Fred was tempted to use an extendable ear to hear the conversation, but he did not need one.

"Who is he?" he heard Greg say obviously referring to Fred.

"Fred," Ani said and Fred was amused at her answer. It was a typical Fred and George Weasley answer, short and sweet, yet oddly funny.

"I know that," the man said his tone again angry.

Fred wanted to go and interrupt them, to stop Ani from being so insulted, but he stayed on the couch.

"What is wrong with you?" Ani asked warmly. She reminded Fred of a girl he had once dated from the Hufflepuff house; she had always been so nice and comforting, especially during their seventh year together when they both new of the danger that surrounded them.

The man let out a soft aggravated huff, "Is he going to sleep at his own place tonight?"

Ani did not want to reply, she was insulted and could not help but wonder why her friend was so angry. "I suppose if there were a single plane in the air he could," she said angrily before walking away from him.

She walked back into the living room and sat next to Fred. He wrapped his arms around her comfortingly and kissed her temple softly. Fred heard the man stomp down the hallway, probably to his own room.

"Fred, I-I feel so comfortable and safe with you," Ani said softly. Fred could tell she was trying to ask him something. "I just want you to stay over," she said.

Surely, that had not been what she wanted to ask, simple for him to stay over? Why would him sleeping on the couch be so odd at a time like this?

"Erm, yeah, I'll stay," he said with a halfhearted smile. "Your couch is comfortable anyways."

Ani looked up at him and their faces where millimeters apart. He could feel her breath on his lips that shot a shiver up his spine.

"In my room," she said even more softly and it did not sound like the seductive offers he received in the store, but an innocent request. He could see in her eyes that she just wanted to feel his warm body as she slept so she could feel safe, not to fulfill a lustful desire.

"Yeah," he said before kissing her softly, their lips tingling for seconds after they pulled away. "I should call my family," he said calmly, "so you rustle up some bedclothes and maybe some food," he was famished. It was unusual for any Weasley, especially one of the twins, to go without eating so long. "And I'll make my call in the hall," he said before kissing her nose softly.

They stood up at the same time but walked their separate ways, Fred into the deserted hallway so he could call Hermione, and Ani to find something for Fred to wear to bed.

Fred did everything Hermione had told him and he waited anxiously for her to pick up her phone.

"Hello?" she said answering the phone.

"Oy, its me," he said the usual cheer in his voice missing.

"Fred," she said as if saying his name took a large weight from her shoulders, "where are you?" she asked.

He did not know what to say. Hermione was not only Ron's girlfriend, but one of his close friends. He had never looked at her as an outsider joining the group, as he had with Katie, Fleur, and Armina, but as another sister. "New York," he said hoping she had not heard of the planes.

"Fred, I could hit you," she said as if she were angry and relieved at the same time, "the American Ministry of Magic is having a horrible time over there, attacks and deaths." She sounded sad, like Hermione would in this type of situation. She was a caring person and Fred knew she was concerned for all of the muggles and wizards alike who were in pain.

"Hermione," Fred said seriously, "keep a secret."

She had no idea what he was about to say, and it really was not a big secret. Everyone was already suspecting something strange was going on, they were just setting themselves up for a different turn of events.

"Even from George?" she asked.

"Yes," he said before pausing to continue, but Hermione filled the gap.

"Fred, you better not tell me that the rumors are true," she said oddly. What rumors? Hopefully not about the ones of why he would not date the women that came into his store. They had been started by angry and vindictive witches who were angry that they had been turned down, and they were completely wrong.

"I'm not gay," he said angrily. He hated that accusation, not that he was a bigot, but that it was a lie. Why would anyone think that he was? So what if he turned down the women that approached him in the store for his money? He was not trying to be someone he was not raised to be, and he was not raised to seduce every woman that came across his path. He had been raised to treat them with respect and dignity, and by his mother to treat them as delicate flowers, which was probably the key to the Weasley charm.

"Good, I mean, I didn't think so, but I didn't want to rule it out," Hermione said stuttering uncomfortably around the words.

"Hermione," he said almost laughing at his old friend. She had not stopped mumbling and trying to make up for her accusation, "Shut up," he said lovingly.

"Okay," she said before being totally quiet.

He almost smiled, "I'm with a woman," he said and then realized how bad his words sounded, "I mean, at her apartment," again his words came out oddly. He knew Hermione would not interpret them as Lee would so he didn't worry. "She's a muggle."

"Wow," Hermione said softly before letting Fred continue.

"I have to stay with her, because she knows I'm not from here, and there are no muggle flights, so I can't come back without her suspecting something," he said knowing Hermione would understand, she was muggle-born.

"Okay," she said accepting her common role, partner in crime, though she had always been part of a trio that never included Fred.

"Right," Fred said happily, he was glad Hermione was the one to have a phone at her house. "Send my love; make up a good story."

"Right," Hermione said, "bye, then."

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AN: You've taken the time to read... so please review!


	5. Cars

**Cars**  
_Chapter 5_

Light poured into Ani's bedroom, shining brightly on Fred's eyes. His eyes fluttered open much as they had on weekend mornings at Hogwarts.

He looked at Ani, her eyes shielded from the early morning light as half of her face was resting on his chest and the other half was covered by her arm bent around her face. He continued to watch her, her chest rising and falling gracefully with her slow breaths. He smiled happily not knowing he was falling in love with the beautiful woman in his arms.

He didn't move until Ani woke up, not wanting to disturb her. She smiled at him, both not remembering the terrible events that had brought them together.

Fred kissed Ani's forehead affectionately and they lied silently in the morning light, their bodies fitting comfortably together as they kept each other at the perfect temperature.

"Fred," Ani said softly, her amber eyes piercing him, "I have to go home."

Fred was unsure what she meant. Was she not home now?

"To my parents' house," she said helping him to understand, he too still called the Burrow home, all the Weasley's did, married or not. "And, I want you to come with me."

Fred would go anywhere with her, but the invitation seemed so definite, who would he be to her if he went to her home and met her family? Would that put them in an official relationship, something both of them didn't want despite their strong attraction to each other? Fred knew that they still couldn't have a relationship, because no matter how well they knew each other the ocean was still there.

"I can't stay here, and I don't want to go without you," she said knowing he was having a hard time deciding whether he would go or not. "You can't fly out yet," she said scared that his plane would be taken over and his life lost before she had the chance to understand why he seemed so special. "And I can't leave you," she paused, "here," another pause before finishing the sentence, "alone."

"Ani," he said softly as he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, "I can't imagine leaving your side."

They moved quietly, Fred making breakfast while Ani packed her bags. They ate, showered, and did the normal morning things before getting in Ani's car, Fred at the steering wheel and Ani with an atlas in her lap.

Fred had driven the Ford Angelina countless times along with Hermione's car, but he still didn't feel confident at the wheel.

"The right side then?" he asked half hoping he was wrong so he didn't have to drive.

"Yeah," Ani said with a smile.

"You're sure I should drive then?" he said still feeling odd driving her car.

"Yeah," she replied not worried that he would wreck or get pulled over or put them in any danger.

"Right," Fred said before finally pulling out of the parking space. He got out of the parking garage and New York City safely, losing his shakiness after an hour.

They stopped at quant diners for lunch and dinner and pulled into the driveway of Ani's childhood home well after midnight. Fred looked at the house which was a good ten minute drive from the nearest town. It was old yet well kept and looked like the type of home Ani would grow up in.

They got out of the car and Fred stood nervously on the front porch waiting for one of Ani's parents to come to the door.

Her mother opened the door wearing her pajamas and threw her arms around Ani before pulling the girl inside by her hand. Fred walked in feeling uncomfortable and shut the door softly.

He felt odd, being in Ani's parent's house. He barely knew Ani, even though her amber eyes made him feel as if he had known her forever. He was a friend, one that she barely knew, and he was there expecting to be accepted as a guest when he felt more like an interloper.

"I know you're not Greg," Ani's mother said kindly as she addressed Fred, "but, you are from the city, no doubt." She was smiling warmly, as Ani had, the day they had ran into each other on the sidewalk.

"Ah, no, I'm not actually," he said softly, still feeling uncomfortable though the woman seemed so warm and so like his own mother.

"Ah, English," she said before looking at her daughter quizzically. It seemed as though there was an inside joke between the two, but it as Fred tried harder to figure out the look he realized it was not a joke. It was as if her mother knew that some day a man would walk through that door and they would already know him. He would not be a new person, but someone Ani had known all her life, like destiny with blue eyes and flaming red hair.

He smiled oddly and ran his hand through his hair thinking he was reading into the look to much, it was just a quizzical look a mother gives a daughter when she brings a strange man home.

Ani knew her mother was about to ask Fred a question, she was overly kind. She was, and always had been, the mother that everyone loved. She was not the push over that let the kids drink beer on the weekends, but the kind that made all of her friends, or mainly just her acquaintances, laugh and say how much they loved her. She loved her mother, especially when she was in the city, but the middle of the night was no time to acquaint oneself with a stranger.

"Mom," Ani said, her piercing look hidden from Fred, "we, well, he has been driving all day." She was trying to get her mother to just let them go down the stairs into what was Ani's miniature apartment in the basement.

"Well, there's plenty of cider in the fridge, towels in the bathroom, and blankets on the couch," she said thinking Fred would sleep on the couch, knowing how her daughter was about premarital relations. She loved her daughter for that, being chaste, an uncommon thing of a twenty-one year old girl; and Ani loved that about herself. She had never had to lie to her mother about that, and she never would; but Fred made her feel safe in a place that now seemed to be shaky at all times.

"Thanks, Mom," Ani said before taking Fred's hand and leading him to the staircase. She led him into the basement, the half that had been finished with a small living room, two bedrooms, one turned into a study room, and bathroom. They had done it when she had started high school years above her peers. Her brother had left for college and Ani had needed extra space to study for all the classes and clubs she had taken on, and they were so proud of her. They had never expected their daughter to turn out so well, to become an intellectual, but she had.

"I'll get you some clothes and heat up some apple cider," Ani said before leaving Fred at the bathroom and her bag in the bedroom. She ran back up the stairs and came back minutes later to Fred, a towel wrapped around his waist. His chest still had drops of water on it, and his hair seemed so much darker when it was wet, as it had they day they had met.

Her cheeks turned red and she almost turned away, but remembered the cups of cider in her hands and the pajamas draped over her arms. "Here," she said as she extended her arm towards him, his cheeks now red solely because hers were.

They fell asleep as they had the night before, Ani curled in Fred's arms, but the smell of Ani's hair lulled Fred to sleep much faster than he had wanted. He had wanted to ask about Greg, a topic neither of them had brought up on the long car ride, partially to keep the peace, partially because neither could think of the proper words to use. Fred had thought he could ask just before they fell asleep, each too exhausted to fight or argue or get offended; but they had fallen asleep seconds after their heads hit the pillows, or more accurately, Ani's head nestled on Fred's chest.

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AN: You've taken the time to read... so please review!


	6. Goodbyes

**Goodbyes**  
_Chapter 6_

Fred stood outside Ani's door, looking into her eyes. He had to go, to pretend to be on his way to the airport.

Two weeks had passed, the pain of the attacks still burning in their hearts, but they had to try to move on with their lives. They could've gotten stuck in her parent's house forever, ignoring the planes and the pain.

Ignoring it was harder than either of them thought, Fred got through it by looking at Ani's blonde hair from the large picture window in her house as she helped her father in the yard. Ani got through it by keeping herself busy, by not thinking about it, it hadn't worked though. One night, she had thought Fred was asleep, and he would've been if she hadn't started crying. She had pushed her eyes into his chest, his shirt becoming soaked with tears after the first few minutes. He had only held her tighter, not saying a word, for he knew not how to comfort her.

Fred couldn't help but remember that night she had cried on his chest, so vulnerable and sad. She reminded him of his niece and nephew, who when they fell would cry, not because of the pain from the fall, but the fall itself. His niece would let the tears fall freely until Bill picked her up, his ponytail swinging down as he leaned to pick her up. His nephew would bite his lip, not wanting anyone to see him cry, but he would as soon as Charlie would pick him up, clinging to his father's shoulders as if they'd never see each other again.

Fred smiled at her, his emotions a whirlwind of happiness and nostalgia and the little moments that he longed to have, that were perfect, that made you feel as if your world was wrapped in just one moment.

She could see it in his eyes, the love, not just the love he had for her that he had not yet realized, but the love he had for the family he had kept a secret from her, and the life he had, the life he wanted, everything; and she didn't want him to leave. He was so perfect, so unlike any other person she had ever met. He seemed to be so traditional, like the kind of men in black and white movies who were righteous and intelligent.

"I want to go with you to the airport," she said hoping he would finally give in and let her come. She wanted those last few hours with him, knowing it would be a few months before she got to see him again.

"If you come with me, I'll never be able to leave," he said truthfully. He would never fly on a plane, not because it was a muggle transportation, but for what happened just weeks ago. He was terrified of the planes, he couldn't help it. He knew he could aparate if something bad would happen, but he couldn't leave all those people to die.

He pulled her into a passionate kiss, the first one since the last time he had left. Their lips moved so softly and slowly, but sparks shot through their body making them hold each other as tight as they could, Ani's fingers gripping Fred's side so hard it hurt. They pulled back before giving each other a few quick soft kisses. Fred didn't walk away yet, he pulled her into a hug, gripping her tightly, as his nephew hugged his father.

"I wish you lived in London," he said his eyes watering as he forced himself to register that he was leaving her. He wanted to be with her so much, to spend every waking moment with her, to never be without her so he could know she was safe.

"Me too," she said softly. She didn't want him to leave because he made her feel safe, as if nothing could happen to her.

They both wanted the same things so much, but couldn't have it. They couldn't pursue a relationship across an ocean, no matter how much they wanted it. Fred had to leave and Ani had to stay.

"Bye, love," Fred said before walking away, one of his hands lingering behind him. A tear slid down his face and he felt a sharp pain in his heart, it was small, the size of a toothpick, but sharp.

He aparated back home, his family there to great him with large hugs, none knowing why he'd been gone so long, but happy he was safe.

He ate happily with George by his side at the Burrow. He watched, his fork hanging in the air with food still on it, as his brother's cut up his niece and nephew's food and Armina fed the small baby in her arms. Fleur, having given birth the day Fred had disappeared, held a blonde infant in her arms. Fred had held it earlier; it was so small, so fragile.

"Oy, Fred," George said as he elbowed his twin in the ribs, "what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing," Fred said before shoving the fork into his mouth.

Fred had fed his family a fabricated story about the store and making repairs, and not being able to leave because of it. They had accepted it happily, even the lie about the owls all being used making him unable to write them.

He smiled happily at his family around him, happy it was so large, even if he was still keeping it a secret from Ani. He noticed bandages on Ron's arms again; it seemed as if they would always be his weakness. Harry looked like once again he had been forced to grow a body part back; Fred assumed it was his teeth as Mrs. Weasley had given him a special plate of soft food. He watched as Harry continued to steal the tastier items from Ginny's plate until Ginny slid her plate out of reach. Hermione was helping Ron eat, his arms too bandaged to bend his arms.

Fred wondered why the picture seemed so normal to him. His little brothers, Harry being counted as his brother without thought, the aurors were being attacked so fiercely that they couldn't eat or function properly, but Fred hadn't thought twice about it when he had started eating his meal.

"Marcus Flint," Fred said oddly. The old Slytherin quidditch captain had disappeared years ago, some thought that he had never truly regained his mind after being stuck for months in the cupboard and wandered away, but Fred and George had never believed that.

"What?" George said oddly. He was beginning to wonder if his brother was losing his mind.

"Flint," Fred said as he started to add things together in his mind, "the attackers, always seven people, it's a quidditch team."

"What are you going on about?" George asked knowing his brother had lost his mind. The attackers couldn't be a quidditch team, even if there were always seven.

Fred looked at George then Harry and Ron, "The Falcons just got a new chaser, Crabbe and Goyle have been beaters for years. He's gotten the old team back together."

"That can't be Fred, all those men have been cleared of all charges, they were never in league with Voldemort," Mr. Weasley said knowing his son couldn't be right, though he desperately wanted a lead on the people attacking his sons.

"It could be," Hermione said and everyone looked at her. She was always the voice of reason, the one who brought in the logic and the right answer. "The green robes that are always inside out, the way two of them are the muscle and three do the magic, one keeps guard, and one keeps people away."

Arthur was finally starting to believe it, it did make sense, but he didn't want to pull in seven men on a whim. He didn't want to confuse the fact that he needed to make an arrest.

Things happened very fast in the next few weeks. Colin Creevey took pictures of the players so they could be examined and verified, and seven aurors stood around the pitch minutes before the Falmouth Falcons took flight against the Chudley Cannons, who stayed relatively close to the ground. Ron had warned them before the game, and they watched as their seven opponents fell slowly towards the ground, each stunned by an auror.

It was the first game the Canons had won, and the beginning of a World Cup winning streak.

Fred was given the Order of Merlin, second class, by his father and Harry and Ron finally had time to heal their wounds.

Fred wanted to tell Ani of what a great two weeks he had just had, but he couldn't. He couldn't tell her that he had just sent seven dark wizards to a wizard prison. He couldn't tell her that things had happened as if they were in one of the books she so loved to read. He couldn't tell her how surreal it was, he could only call her every week, as he always did and have a lovely conversation with her before she went to bed.

-- -- -- -- --

AN: You've taken the time to read... so please review!


	7. Move

**Move**  
_Chapter 7_

June came as a shock to Fred. He had spent the past few months sending George and Katie off on their honeymoon, babysitting with Harry and Ron, opening the new store just weeks before Christmas, working with George on new products for summer, and the thing he looked forward to most, spending a day or two with Ani every month. They would spend hours in the snow or watching TV until Fred had to go back to his bare apartment and the women trying to seduce him. He went on more dates now, able to suffer through them by thinking of Ani.

Fred knocked on Ani's door and she burst out, throwing her arms around him. She seemed so excited to see him; not that he didn't get a hug when he visited, but she seemed so hyper today.

She kissed him passionately, their lips moving slowly. They never kissed like this, pausing only a second for quick breaths before their lips and tongues were once again dancing slowly together. The loved each other, though neither would admit it, even to themselves; and both thought the distance was too far, so they constantly refrained from the long passionate kisses they both loved.

Their lips drew apart but their foreheads touched and they looked into each other's eyes. Fred's heart yelled for him to tell her how much he loved her, but his mind pushed away and he continued to look into Ani's amber eyes.

"I'm moving to London," she said her smile growing wider, something that seemed impossible.

"Really?" Fred said as his eyes grew larger with his smile.

"Yes."

Fred spun Ani around, her feet flying in the air as they laughed happily. They would finally be able to have a relationship, one that didn't span an ocean, one that was more than the close friendship they shared.

When Fred finally set Ani down he pulled her into another long passionate kiss, his hands gripping her tightly. He could barely contain his excitement as he pulled her body into his, neither of them wanting to leave the moment. They couldn't stand in the hall forever, no matter how much they both wanted to, so Ani pulled Fred inside quickly when he had pulled back for a second to look into her eyes.

"I haven't told Greg," Ani said referring to the man neither of them brought up. "And I think I should do it alone," she was afraid Fred would get angry, but he couldn't, because she was moving to London, and today nothing could jar his good mood.

"Right," Fred said before another long passionate kiss after which he walked back to Ani's room. He couldn't help but listen to them talk, and the conversation began as soon as Greg came in the door.

"Hi," Ani said happily and Fred had no doubt in his mind that she was giving him a hug, but he didn't care.

"Hi," Greg replied before Fred could hear their footsteps as they walked into what Fred guessed was the living room. "Ani," he said his voice filled with an emotion Fred could not yet read, "I wanted to take you out, but it smells like you already have dinner ready."

Why would he want to take her out? Did he already know she was moving?

"I love you," he said and Ani was speechless, Fred hoped. He couldn't help but wonder if she was kissing him as passionately as she had just kissed him. Fred heard a shuffling noise and feared it was Ani and Greg's bodies moving against each other, but that was pushed by his mind when he found out what it really was, "Will you marry me?" He had moved to get on his knee.

Fred wanted to run form the room, to walk into the living room so Ani didn't forget him and so Greg would know he was there.

"I'm moving to London," Ani said giving him neither a yes nor a no.

"What?" Greg asked his voice squeaking. He had read that reply as a no, but Fred was worried that it wasn't a no, but a yes.

"I mean, no," Ani said firmly. Fred smiled; she didn't want to marry Greg.

"You're moving?" Greg asked devastated, "to London?" Seconds later he remembered Fred, the British jerk who had taken Ani from him. "It's that guy, isn't it? You're leaving to be with him!"

Fred would've been happy to hear a yes come from Ani, but he knew she was going to London to get her Ph.D., something he still didn't understand, and because she had always wanted to live in England, not for Fred.

"No, it's not just because of Fred," Ani said angrily. She was going to England for Fred, not just Fred, but partially for Fred. "I'm not the kind of woman to chase men around the world."

Greg gave an almost evil laugh, "Whatever, we both knew if I had an accent, you'd have been in my bed every night," he said bitterly. Fred heard the unmistakable crack of her hand hitting his face hard seconds later.

"Greg, I might have had a crush on you as a teenager, but when you didn't feel the same way, we became friends. I invited you to New York because you couldn't find a job, and I wanted to have a friend with me. I don't love you the way you love me, don't insult me or the people I care about because of that," she said before storming away.

Fred stood a few feet from the open door and she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

They were quiet for the first few minutes, the silence broken when Fred burnt his tongue. Ani laughed as he hurriedly and frantically gulped water down from the faucet.

"Glad I could make you laugh," Fred said, his tongue still burning.

Neither of them mentioned Greg, even though he could be heard packing in his room.

Two weeks later, Fred was helping Ani move into the empty apartment across the hall from his own.

They fell onto the couch after hauling the last boxes in, each filled with what Fred guess was a small library. Ani slipped her arms around Fred, happy to finally have him all to herself. She had been ready to forget her classes and move to London months ago, but she had stayed and gotten her Masters degree, which was in a frame already hanging on the wall.

They spent as much time together as they could over the next nine months, eating breakfast and dinner together before going to work, class, or their own bedrooms. It took them that long to finally admit to themselves how much they cared for each other.

They hadn't admitted it to each other yet, each not sure what to say, but as they stood under a store overhang on a cold rainy night, the cold freezing their ears, they both knew it was the time to say something.

Fred had his warm hands cupped over Ani's icy ears, hoping to keep her warm as they both shivered, their bodies inches from touching.

Fred moved one hand to cradle Ani's head while the other moved down to become firmly planted on her back. He pulled her into him for a quick, soft, and cold kiss. He pulled back to look into her eyes, each of them had smiles playing across their lips.

"I love you, Ani," Fred said softly almost drowned out by the rain.

"Thanks," Ani said playfully. Fred let out a short chuckle before Ani added, "I love you."

Fred kissed her again, his lips warm and soft against hers which still held a small amout of clear gloss.

Fred quickly realized how lucky he was. The months passed with him watching Ani cook or working at her desk and falling in love with her all over again. The light would catch her hair in just the right way and he could feel his heart beat a little harder. He marveled in the moments of perfection, making sure to tell her how much he loved her a few times a day.

He bought the ring months before he had the courage to propose to her. He had it in his pocket at all times, hoping he would find the right time to ask.

They were walking in the rain when he realized that it was time for him to ask her. They had met in the rain, professed their love in the rain, and now they would get engaged in the rain, if Ani said yes.

Fred led Ani down the streets until they stood in front of Big Ben, Ani's favorite place in London. They stopped and Fred kissed Ani's cheek softly.

"Oy, love," he said gently, "I was thinking," he paused and pulled the velvet box from his pocket; "your finger looks a little starkers." He winked at her, a small gesture that always made her smile, "Will you marry me?" he asked as he opened the box.

She looked at the dull platinum ring that held a diamond the size of a small car, "Wow," she said softly before looking back into Fred's eyes. She could almost see how much he loved her in his eyes, the way he wanted to keep her within arms reach so she would always be safe, the way he could watch her for hours and every second fall in love with her all over again.

"Love?" Fred asked wondering if she was going to say anything other than "Wow."

"If I say yes, will you twirl me around?" she asked tying to get another smile out of Fred in that moment that seemed so private and intimate.

Fred laughed, "Of course."

"Yes."

-- -- -- -- --

AN: You've taken the time to read... so please review!


	8. Revelations

**Revelations**  
_Chapter 8_

They couldn't have one wedding. It was impossible, Fred couldn't pay to fly her entire family to England, and Ani didn't want him to have to pay for his family to fly over either, so they were planning two weddings. Fred had given Ani complete control over the one in America, and his mother control of the one here.

He refused to be dragged into the wedding as much as George was. He couldn't ignore his twin as he had once been ignored, so he spent as much time as he could at the store, knowing as soon as he went home he'd have to hear boring details.

He knocked on her door two months after he proposed. He had to tell her about his family before the wedding, and preferably before the invitations went out. He'd always let her believe he was a single child. She didn't know about George, or his other six siblings, excluding Hermione and Harry who technically were just friends of the family.

"Oy, Fred, come in," she yelled from her couch, her voice low and mocking. Fred laughed as he walked through the door, happy she was in a good mood. He couldn't tell hear about his large family if she was in a bad mood, she might get angry that he had kept it a secret so long.

"Oy, love," he said softly as he kissed her lips, which she held in the air as she sat in front of her coffee table. She was glowing and Fred noticed the different types of invitations around her. He wanted to roll his eyes but knew she was watching so he just smiled falsely. "Can we talk," he paused as he felt quite odd. He'd said it in the way that one would end a relationship, or an engagement. "Nothing big," he said hoping he hadn't upset her. "On the balcony?" he asked wanting her to still be in a good mood.

They walked out onto her tiny balcony. It was just big enough for them to stand, Fred's arms wrapped around her. He held her close, her warm back pressed firmly against his chest, her sweet smelling hair on his cheek.

He kissed the side of her head softly, "I love you so much," he said happily. He knew he was lucky to have her, she was beautiful and smart, never mind that she was a muggle.

"But?" Ani asked worried that he was going to end the engagement or tell her that he was already married with ten kids.

"But nothing," he said trying to comfort her. He'd gotten her worried; maybe his news wouldn't be such a shock as he was sure a million things were running through her mind. "I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you," he said as if it was obvious, like there was no doubt in his mind that he wanted, and she loosened up. She knew he was telling the truth, he had never lied to her.

"But, I've lied to you," he paused, "sort of."

She tensed up again.

"It's nothing shocking, not that important really, just a detail rather that I never mentioned, really," he said trying to tell her in the softest, calmest way so she wouldn't get angry or upset or scared. "I, um, I'm not the only child in my family."

"That's it? That's all? You're not like really a woman, or married to like twenty midgets, or, or, that's it?" she said amazed at the small revelation he had made. She was expecting shocking, off the wall, insane, so horrible that she couldn't marry him, but having a brother or sister, that's like a penny compared to a gold bar.

"No, I'm not really a woman," he said oddly, "Adam's apple, right here. Twenty midgets…" he trailed off.

Ani laughed, "Sounded right when I said it."

Fred closed his eyes and smiled at the woman he was marrying. She truly was the one for him, she was so perfect. The way she would make a joke of everything, well, maybe not when she was angry, but he didn't know about that yet.

"So, what your brother, or sister's name?" she asked wanting to know more about the person he'd been hiding for years. Maybe they had been sentenced to life imprisonment, or disowned the family, or maybe, they were a spy.

Fred laughed before naming them by birth, "Bill, Charlie," he skipped Percy, "George, Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny."

He watched as Ani counted on her fingers, "Seven, that's seven!"

"Glad you can count, love," he said trying to joke away the awkwardness he felt. "Guess your not counting me in there then? Not going to have me killed, are you?

Ani laughed, "No, just you hid seven people from me, wow."

He squeezed her a little tighter, "Didn't hide really, just didn't share."

"So all those times Hermione called, she's your sister, not friend?" Ani asked curiously, "that's hiding."

"Hermione is a family friend, but really so close she's my sister. Harry, too. Dating Ron and Ginny they are though," he paused knowing he should tell her about Percy and George. "Hid another one, though."

"So, there really are seven?"

"Erm, yes," Fred was feeling rather mad with himself at this point. Why had he kept it a secret? Did he to it so she saw him differently? As one of a kind instead of one of seven, or one of a kind preferably to a copy of his twin? "Percy," he said his brother's name with such distaste and animosity that Ani knew he was the black sheep, the one who'd turned his back on the family or got himself arrested.

Ani wiggled to get more comfortable in Fred's arms, letting him know that she wasn't angry. "I know there's something else," she said oddly. She had been referring to Percy, but he thought she meant about his family and possibly George.

"I'm a twin," he said before closing his eyes and bracing himself for a yell.

Ani smiled, of course there was more than one Fred, he was two perfect to be the only one. "So, if I don't like you, I can trade you in."

"Yeah," Fred said just agreeing with her before he realized what he'd agreed to, "no!"

Ani laughed, she loved Fred just as much as he loved her. He was so unrealistic. It was like he walked out of a dream and appeared on a rainy sidewalk in New York. He was whimsical almost, the perfect gentleman, always opening doors, pulling her chair out, paying for meals without a second glance, but so loving. He was unlike some men that wanted complete control of everything and was concerned with where she was of every second of the day, but relaxed. He trusted her to be the woman he saw when he looked into her eyes, and she liked that.

"Anything else you'd like to share?" she felt odd, like there was still something there, but she knew it wasn't the time, "for now?"

"Yes," he said before holding his head high, "Percy is a git and will not be receiving an invitation to our wedding."

Ani laughed again and he joined in, his head falling into the crook of her shoulder as they doubled over laughing, Fred's arms still wrapped around Ani. Ani wanted to ask him why he didn't like his brother, but she couldn't. She wanted to know, but she didn't want to spoil the laughter they were sharing. She knew, though, that there were many more secrets wrapped in Fred, she'd noticed over the time together that in his eyes was a spot of dullness almost. If you looked deep enough you could see a spot that wasn't right, as if something tragic and long had happened, like a long fight for freedom.

They returned to the flat so they could pick out the perfect invitation to sent to everyone coming to their second wedding. He watched without giving any help as Ani picked out an invitation and smiled when they were finally finished.

"I'm starved," Fred said as he stretched his arms in the air.

Ani leaned against him and he wrapped his arm around her. "There's a pizza casserole in the oven," she said as Fred held her tighter. She didn't know it was uncommon for a Weasley to not run for food, to not burn their hands as they tried to bring a hot dish from the oven without realizing they had a wand in their pocket.

"My nose is cold," Ani said before staring at it cross-eyed and moving her lips around trying to move her nose to warm it up.

Fred watched her for a few seconds before letting out a laugh; he couldn't help but be more attracted to her, no matter how funny she looked. He kissed her nose softly, letting his lips rest there to warm her nose.

When he pulled back Ani wiped the tip of her nose with her sleeve, "Great, now it's cold and wet. I'm not a dog, you know."

Fred laughed again. She seemed to fit in to the Weasley family. She reminded him of Ginny, the way she was sarcastic and the way her lips curled mischievously when she smiled, almost as if she had just set the best prank and was waiting for him to walk into it. But she was so unlike Ginny. He was attracted to her, were as Ginny was just his kid sister. He wouldn't be able to get Ani out of his mind once he started to think about her, he could wink or smile at her and she would smile back at him, her cheeks turning slightly pink every time. He loved to make her blush; her cheeks would burn so warm he could almost feel them across the room.

Fred almost forgot sometimes that he'd already asked her to marry him, and sometimes he'd ask her again only to realize that they were already engaged seconds later. She would always say yes, laughing at him the entire time. She loved it too, it was almost like he was telling her how much he truly wanted to get married, even if he didn't want to take part in any of the plans.

"Let's get married," Ani said jokingly, she knew Fred was in one of those moods, where he just wanted to hold her and smile and feel her warm body against his own. It was like he just wanted to hold her, he'd finally found her and he wanted to hold her in his arms so he never had to look for her again.

"Yeah," Fred said in a daze, his thoughts of white picket fences and a car parked in the three car garage, or in his case a secret lab in his three car garage where he and his children could experiment for hours.

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AN: You've taken the time to read... so please review!


	9. Stories

**Stories**  
_Chapter 9_

Fred sat inside while his brothers played quidditch outside. He knew that's where he should be, outside flying around, helping George as beater, but he hadn't wanted to go outside. He was in a daze, a slow hazy daze in which he was slowly realizing he'd done something stupid.

He'd been eating and listening to his mother spout details about the wedding and she said pink and puffy in one sentence. His head snapped up and he'd blurted out, in a very slow and cautious way that he'd plan the wedding. He realized at that moment how much he wanted the wedding to be just right, perfect for Ani. He hadn't cared before, not realizing, or was it not caring, how much the wedding meant, especially if it was to be the first one, the one after which they shared their first night together as husband and wife.

"So, Fred," Hermione said as she walked out of the kitchen, obviously done helping clean up after dinner, "how are the plans coming?" She was mocking him, even if it was in the sweet voice Hermione always held, except when she was angry with Ron.

He looked at her as Ginny came walking out of the kitchen. "Don't know, haven't got a clue where to start," he lied. He knew one thing; he wanted it to rain, to pour, soaking them as they said their vows. It seemed so perfect, they'd had so many memorable moments in the rain, it just seemed right to get married in the rain. "I want it to rain," he admitted.

"Rain?" Hermione asked curiously. The girls were hooked now; they could see the romantic glint in his eye and were ready to listen to whatever he had to say.

"Yeah," his ears turned pink, he was embarrassed by the emotion he was feeling. The Weasley's were a caring family, but they were all men and all quite daft. They'd never discussed romance, but Fred guessed that all of the boys had a soft side no matter how good they were at hiding it.

"Well, tell us why, you prat!" Ginny said throwing a pillow at him. He blocked the pillow with his arm as he laughed at his little sister, he hadn't known she was a romantic; it was visible in Hermione's eyes, but not Ginny's. Ginny's eyes looked like his brothers, tough and mischievous.

He leaned forward, as if telling the girls a secret, "Well, it was, wow it was so long ago," he started. He couldn't believe it had been so long since they first met, "It was right before George and Katie's engagement party," he paused that the girls didn't say a word they just waited for him to continue, "and I had been in New York, picking out the colors for the new store."

Fleur walked in and Fred looked at her, she looked exhausted but baby free. She smiled and the two other girls looked at her. Ginny beckoned her to sit down on the couch with her and Fred smiled slyly. He hadn't meant to tell the stupid romantic stories he had, especially when he should be getting back to Ani, but he continued anyway.

"I was walking down the muggle streets and it was pouring, I was completely soaked," Fleur was already hooked on the soft words that were coming from his mouth, "but, I kept walking, don't know why, but I just did. I had my head down and I felt something hit my shoulder and when I spun around, she was standing there. She was so beautiful; I was almost speechless, her blonde hair still held these soft curls that were dripping from the rain."

The girls leaned in, not wanting to miss a word of the story, "Said I was sorry and she asked me for a cup of coffee, bloody nasty that stuff, and I couldn't say no, she was like a dream.

"She grabbed my hand and pulled me along these streets, until she pulled me into this little shop and we sat down in this tiny little booth," he smiled slyly, he never knew he could tell stories and hold the girls' attention like this. He wondered if his brothers had done the same thing.

He heard the door slam, "Where is everyone?" Katie yelled. She'd been out playing quidditch with the boys, "are the babies asleep?"

"In here," Hermione yelled and Katie followed her voice into the living room.

"No babies?" she asked sadly, she'd obviously come in to hold one.

Fleur looked at her, "Armina is just getting the youngest to sleep," she said softly, her accent almost gone. "Are the boys being gentle with the other children?" she asked knowing how Bill acted with their two oldest children.

"Yes," Katie said as she plopped down on a soft chair, "bloody good at quidditch."

Fleur looked worried, "Don't worry," Katie said with a smile, "they're safe."

Ginny laughed, "Then why'd they send you in?"

Everyone knew Katie was pregnant and the boys were overprotective of her, "They're prats," she said ruefully. "You're going to hurry up Fred, just to keep up with me and George," she laughed. Fred's cheeks turned red, he still felt too young to have kids, almost too young to get married.

"Unlike my two oldest brothers," he said jokingly, "I don't plan to have my kids at the same time as my twin." Charlie and Bill were almost in competition to see who could have another baby first, the babies always coming just months in between. They were up to three each now and still wanted more.

"Fred, you know that isn't planned," Armina said as she ruffled his hair. She'd obviously gotten the newest addition to the Weasley clan to sleep.

Hermione finally got tired of waiting for the story to continue, "Is everyone here? I want to hear the rest of Fred's story," she said as Armina sat gracefully beside her.

Fred looked at them and leaned back in. "where was I? Oh, the coffee shop, we sat there for ages, until I remembered the engagement party and ran off, but not before I got her telephone number."

"What's a telephone?" Fleur asked feeling guilty for interrupting the story that everyone wanted to hear.

"It's like floo powder but you can only talk to someone, not see their face or anything," Hermione said quickly but not rudely, she'd lost the nagging quality she'd always had at school. "Go on," she said her cheeks turning red for being a know-it-all.

Fred chuckled, "So, I had the number and all, but I was afraid to call, so I waited. Two months after we met, I had to spend a week in New York, for the store. I called her and we spent every night together, even helped her study," all the girls looked at him, doubting that he'd actually helped a girl study, even if she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. "I did, didn't believe in centaurs and dragons, that one." He smiled remembering what she'd said about the "mythical creatures" she was studying and the promise to wash his dirty socks if he gave her proof of their existence.

"She was so amazing, and we had so much fun together, but I had to leave. I kissed her, it was so amazing, the world seemed to fade away and it was just her and I," he blushed again. "We, uh, decided to just be friends though, with the distance and all." He hated the distance that had separated them for so long, and all the girls could tell by the way he was speaking.

"After that, I called her and then, in September there was the terrorist attack, and she called me. She was so terrified but I didn't know why, I left right away," all the girls were imaging him running to her rescue and scooping her up in his arms before riding off into the sunset. He shuddered as he thought of that day, "She came to the door, her eyes all red, found out she wore glasses that day, and she was wearing these huge pajamas.

"I couldn't leave yet, because she thought I had to fly out, so I ended up driving her to her parents' house, bloody long drive. Had to come back, and before I left, I kissed her again. I felt the world fade away again and it felt like my entire body was going to explode," he paused remembering the way her lips had felt on his that day. "I didn't want to leave, but I, uh," he took a rather large gulp; "I had too."

He'd never realized how great those moments were, he'd always been thinking about a time when they could be together every day and not worry about the ocean separating them and the secrets he kept from her.

"I visited every month then, called her a lot," he smiled, "on my last visit, she burst out of her apartment and threw her arms around me. I had no idea what was going on, thought she was just glad to see me.

"She said she was moving to London," he paused, "I picked her up, and spun her around until I couldn't spin anymore, and then we kissed, I was holding her so tight, wanted to make sure she was real, I guess."

"Then, some more kissing," he said as the girls all blushed, they were more into the story than he thought. "Then, her roommate came home, rude bloke he is. Told her he loved her and asked her to marry him," all the girls gasped, "she just said, 'I'm moving to London.'" Fred laughed, remembering how happy he'd been when she'd told him no, "He got angry, yelled at her, she yelled at him, she's so, so strong, she is."

The girls loved the way Fred was talking, his words so sweet and loving towards the girl they'd never met. Fred could see it in their eyes, the way the all wanted to coo at him like they did the babies, and he smirked at them.

He continued with his story, "She moved in across the hall from me, and it was a couple months before I told her I loved her. It was pouring down again, except it was an ice cold rain so we were standing under an overhang. She was freezing," he said the scene becoming crystal clear in his mind, "so, I put my hands over her ears, to keep her warm, and I moved them slowly before pulling her into me. I kissed her softly, our lips felt like ice, and we were smiling at each other. I looked into her eyes, they were so vivid that night, like the world was spinning in them, and I said, "I love you, Ani,' real soft, the rain almost drowned my words. She smiled and said, 'Thanks,' which made me laugh then she said it back. I kissed her again, but this time her lips felt so warm and soft."

All the girls were smiling, even if just faintly, Fred knew they loved a good story.

Fred leaned back and looked at his watch, "Best get going then, Ani said something about cleaning my flat, guess she can smell it from hers."

"No," al the girls said, "What about when you proposed?" Hermione added.

"Yes, what about when you proposed?" his mother asked as she walked in, she'd obviously been listening from the kitchen.

He looked at Hermione as his mother sat down next to her, "Really, Hermione, I thought you were a woman of logic, not love."

She threw a pillow at him, "I'm dating Ron, this is the closest thing I'll get to romance. He'll probably just toss me a ring and say, 'How 'bout it?'" She was probably right, knowing how thick Ron was, but Fred had surprised himself, he'd hadn't thought he was romantic enough to hold the girls attention for so long.

He smiled and leaned forward again, "It was pouring down and we were walking around London, the ring in my pocket, waiting for the perfect time. I pulled her along, running through the streets until we got to the clock tower, she loves that. I held her close and told her that her finger looked a bit starkers; then I pulled out the box, and asked her to marry me before I opened it." He paused and all they all leaned in, even though they knew the outcome. "She looked at it, and said wow. It's bigger than Katie's ring," he winked at his sister-in-law, whose ring was bought before the second store opened and they started making millions of galleons a year. "She didn't answer though, so I said, "Love?' to get her moving. She looked up at me, and says, 'If I say yes, will you twirl me around?'"

Fred could see that all the girls' eyes were on the verge of watering, "'Of course,' I tell her and she says yes. I spun her around until I was dizzy then I put her down and she had to hold me up as I leaned down and kissed her. The world didn't fade away that time, it seemed to become more vivid, muffled, but vivid. When I looked around, the color seemed sharper and sounds more defined." The girls eyes watered and Fred felt a tear forming in his own eye. He'd never realized how perfect all those moments were, how lucky he was to find her, she was so perfect.

He stood up, not wanting the tear to fall, even if it was a tear of happiness, "Really, must get back, Ani said if I don't clean my flat, or at least the fridge, it's going to turn into a toxic waste dump," he paused, "not sure what that is really, but I know it's not good."

He was about to aparate home when he heard the back door slam open again, "Fred didn't leave yet did he?" George yelled. Fred walked into the kitchen, to see his brother covered in mud. He could see his two oldest brothers doing their best to clean their children off before their wives saw them.

"They are going to kill you," Fred laughed, "it's no wonder you sent Katie in."

Charlie's daughter, looked up at Fred and ran into the house, leaving her father and brother behind. She clasped her arms around Fred's leg, "I caught the snitch from Daddy's broom!" Charlie looked up with a smile, still trying hopelessly to clean the mud from his son, who looked at Fred. "Harry crashed in the mud."

Fred laughed at his family, "You're feet were practically touching the ground, and you were driving," Charlie said to his son. "Either way, don't tell your mother."

Fred looked back to George, "You best get off the floor, Mum just cleaned," he said as he looked down at his twins muddy feet. "What is it?"

George snapped his head up from the floor that had been shining before he walked in, "Meant to ask at dinner, but are you going to build a house, or do you plan on living in a tiny apartment all your life?"

Fred wanted to hit himself in the head, he still had a house to build, "I'll talk to Ani and get the builders out to you, you bought the land right? Across the street from you?"

"Out to me?" George asked.

"Yeah, I can't plan the wedding and build a house," Fred said as if that had been obvious.

"Of course," George said sarcastically. He knew he had to help his brother, after all he'd kicked him out of their house together, but he'd be happy to have his brother back, even if they were separated by a street.

"Must be off then," Fred said before aparating back to his apartment.

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AN: You've taken the time to read... so please review!


	10. Vows

**Vows**  
_Chapter 10_

Fred sat nervously in a room that connected to the Great Hall. He'd talked Dumbledore into letting him have his wedding, the first one at least, at Hogwarts, where he would stay for his honeymoon. He wasn't getting cold feet, he was just nervous that things wouldn't go right, that Ani might say no instead of "I do," or worse: laugh in his face.

He'd planned everything perfectly, Hermione had gotten a few coworkers in to call a large storm cloud, so that they were sure it would rain, and everything was set up perfectly, the chairs all facing the lake, and Ani had been able to see the castle. He was afraid she wouldn't be able to, but besides feeling like she should be somewhere else for the first few minutes, the girls had said she'd been fine, amazed actually.

There was a soft knock on the door and George walked in. He looked more nervous than Fred. He pulled a chair next to his twin and sat down.

Fred looked at his brother, unsure why he was there and looked so nervous.

George smiled oddly, "Um, well, Charlie said that I sort of, had to u, well tell you, erm, give you some pointers," he said wishing feeling rather peculiar, talking to his twin about his wedding night. "Told me some, he did," George was wringing his hands slowly.

Fred's eyebrow cocked, "You mean, about the uh, and all that," he said before he took on a surprised expression, "oh."

"Yeah," George said before letting out a sigh, "Glad I get to tell you instead of Harry, think about how hard that would be."

Fred chuckled uncomfortably, before realizing it was going to be his responsibility to talk to his little sister's prospective husband about his wedding night, "Then I have too?" He now started to feel a knot in his stomach, not about talking to Harry but about the wedding night.

"Suppose Ron could, if he gets married first," George said before getting back to the original topic. "Well, anyways, about the, um, later, about later."

"Out with it George, your making me nervous," he paused, "more nervous than I was."

George gave him a halfhearted smile, then pushed his nervousness aside. "So, tonight," he said oddly confident and reassuring, "well, I guess, first, be really gentle, it hurts, really bad."

Fred was taking mental notes, even if the conversation was odd and uncomfortable.

"For the girl, that is, Katie, well, it's rather enjoyable on your part, well, besides the fact that the woman you love is in pain," George said going into more details than he needed to.

"George," Fred said not needed in more detail than he had already received on that area, "go on to the important stuff."

George explained the essentials, like unhooking her bra without fumbling around for a few minutes, and the more detailed things that two brothers talk about. They'd talked about George's wedding night as soon as he'd gotten back from his honeymoon, they were best friends after all, but they hadn't gone over the things they talked about hours before Fred would have to live through the moment.

"Alright, Fred?" George asked as they stood at the doors, waiting to walk outside, into the rain.

"Don't worry, your going to be married, so if your good or bad you'll have plenty of time to practice," George joked before walking out.

Fred gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing, and walked out after his brother. Everyone was there, everyone he knew at least. All his old teachers, including Mad Eye and Lupin and excluding Umbridge. His other brothers were waiting, the groomsmen waiting to escort the bridesmaids. Hermione had become good friends with Ani and had been the maid of honor, and she walked down with Ron, even though George was Fred's best man.

Ani looked exactly as she had the day they met, her blonde hair with soft wet curls, and water dripping from her nose. They smiled at each other through the rain, both of their faces covered in warm tears as well as the warm rain. It was like a dream for both of them, everything else seemed to fade away, even as they said their vows, it was surreal.

She looked so ecstatic, like it didn't matter that none of her family was there to see their daughter get married. She was actually happy they weren't there, it was so perfect with just Fred's family and friends, his father had given her away, he'd taken a liking to her and was just as odd as Fred and the rest of his family, something Ani had been so used to she didn't notice.

Fred spun her around, her dress gliding softly, and kissed her, just as they had when he'd proposed. He gripped her tightly, not wanting to let her go, not wanting to loose her touch on his skin.

They walked to the great hall, sitting at the staff table, something Fred had always wanted to do, he sat in Dumbledore's chair, which let out a loud fart. He looked down at Dumbledore, who was smiling like a student at a professor.

"Alas, a prank on one half of the biggest pranksters to hit our school," he said with a laugh, "There is still a section of your swamp in the corridors."

The food appeared as it always did in the Great Hall, but Ani didn't notice as she was staring up at the ceiling, which looked like the sky outside, and the rain that was falling and disappearing meters from their heads.

Fred nudged her and she looked down at the food, forgetting the ceiling completely, something she usually did when something odd happened. She ate slowly and Fred distracted her when it was time for the next plate of food to appear, not wanting her to find out about magic just yet, that was another thing he'd planned perfectly.

George tapped his glass, he too was excited to be at the staff table of Hogwarts, he felt powerful. He cleared his throat and did his best expression of Dumbledore, "I would like to say a few words, Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! And yes, Harry I am mad," he joked remembering his third year, the year all the amazing things started to happen.

Fred laughed at his brother, he too remembered those words. Ani laughed too, though the words held no significance to her.

"Also, I have a few start-of-term announcements. First years should note that the forbidden forest is forbidden and Fred and George Weasley would do well to remember that as well. Also, Mr. Filch has asked that the Weasley twins do not," he paused and remembered Ani and that his brother didn't' want her to know about magic yet, "make a mess in the corridors between classes.

"Also, the Gryffindor dormitory is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death," he said referring to the rooms Fred had confiscated for him and Ani. Fred laughed again.

"I'd also like to point out to our mother that even though we didn't finish our blessed time at good ole Hoggy Hoggy Hogwarts, we still left a very nice swamp in one of the corridors, and I doubt anyone forgets the fireworks, or our flight from the school," he laughed.

"Now, onto the people that we are here for, Fred and Ani," he said and raised his goblet to the couple. Fred and Ani raised their goblets and George looked at his goblet, "It seems like just yesterday Fred and I were trying to get our names into the Goblet of Fire." He knew Fred didn't want to know about magic yet, but he couldn't ignore it, they were wizards. "I thought the beards looked rather nice, aye Headmaster?"

"Aye, master Weasley," Dumbledore said raising his goblet to the man.

Ani looked at Fred oddly and he winked at her.

"I've known Fred all my life, considering I was born two minutes after him, something he's held over me for years," George paused, his speech almost as sentimental as Fred's had been at his wedding. "We've grown up, though our mum doesn't think so," he winked at his mother who shook her head at him as she smiled. "Fred has found himself a beautiful woman, lucky man," he said jokingly causing Katie to hit him. "Oy, love, I was joking, you're beautiful too."

George looked at his brother, "Thought the bloody git would never get married, never took kindly to the women in the store," he joked. "But he has, and now all the pressure is on ickle Ronniekins."

Everyone laughed except Hermione and Ron, who gulped and smiled cheekily at her as if she were a large spider.

George raised his goblet into the air, "I say we toast the couple and the three Marauders, I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good."

Everyone repeated him and drank deeply.

Fred smiled at Ani, and kissed her nose softly. He was happy his brother hadn't gone over board and hadn't mentioned magic.

The last few hours passed quickly and Fred took Ani by the hand. He led her up to the common room, past all the portraits that he had asked to keep quiet around Ani. The portrait of the Fat Lady swung open for him with a smile and a wink that only Fred noticed. He heard the staircase start to shift and quickly pulled Ani inside. He led her past the burning fire and up the staircase that had led to the dormitory he had spent almost seven years in.

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AN: You've taken the time to read... so please review!


	11. Food

**Food**  
_Chapter 11_

Fred woke up to Ani still sleeping, her arms gripping him tightly. She still smelled like the perfume she'd put on the day before and her hair looked just a beautiful as it had during the wedding, minus the water dripping from it.

He smiled, she looked like an angel and she'd be his forever, if she didn't hate him for being a wizard.

He rubbed her back softly, she was so perfect, so peaceful, he didn't want to wake her, but he had to go to the bathroom and his stomach was rumbling. His stomach groaned louder and Ani's eyes fluttered open. She looked at Fred with a smile before snuggling back in.

"Ani, love?" he said feeling horrible for trying to wake her. He waited a few seconds, hoping she would wake up, and spoke again, "love, oy, love."

Her eyes fluttered open again and she looked at him, a smile shining through her eyes. "Hmmm?" she said not able to form complete words yet.

He chuckled, causing her to rise and fall with his body, "I've got to use the loo, love."

"Mmmm, mmmhmmm," she said before snuggling back up to Fred. Fred chuckled again before slowly rolling over. He kissed her forehead softly before pulling out of her grip. He got out of the bed and stretched.

He looked around the room still completely starkers realizing that he'd just slept with the most beautiful woman he'd ever met in his old dormitory. It was almost a childhood fantasy, except he'd never dreamt of taking his wife to his dormitory to shag.

He ran off to the bathroom and came back wanting to crawl back into the warm bed after walking out of the icy bathroom, having no clothes on hadn't been much help. He started to crawl back in but his stomach growled again and he almost shushed it.

Ani woke up and turned over. She smiled at him, and he wondered if she was fully awake now.

"Morning, love," he said with a smile, he felt rather odd climbing into the bed completely naked.

"Morning," she said with a yawn. "Mmmm, food," she said already sounding like a Weasley.

Fred shook his head at her, laughing as he did so, "I'll go get some from the kitchens," he said before pulling a pair of robes out of an armoire and running off to the kitchens.

He walked out of the portrait hole and right into all of his brothers. His ears burned as he realized he was practically naked but was glad he hadn't just pulled on his pants.

"You haven't left yet?" Fred said as he walked past them, he didn't want to keep Ani waiting too long. He looked back at them, they were following him, "What is it?"

Charlie was the one to speak first but Fred knew he wouldn't be the last, "Just wanted to see our little brother before we took off," he said smoothly.

"Right, well, you've seen me," Fred said practically running down the stairs, he wanted to escape his brothers before one of them said something completely stupid.

"Oy, Fred, it's me, you're twin," George said and Fred knew he was smirking.

Fred waited for him to say something more but he didn't, Fred guessed that he really had nothing to say and he also guessed that George had been forced along by his other brothers.

"I know who you are George," Fred said as he arrived at the painting of the fruit. He turned around to see them, including Harry. "What is it?"

"Just want to know," Ron said and Fred wondered if he was just being thick or if his brothers had tricked him into asking the question they all wanted to know. "How was it?"

Harry punched him in the arm, he was obviously being thick.

Fred smiled and looked as Bill, Charlie, and George, "We'll talk later," he said to them causing them each to smirk. "And you," he said turning to Ron, "propose to Hermione and you'll know."

Ron's ears turned red fast, that always shut him up, but not this time. "But you've got to tell us Fred, they already know," Ron said referring to the three men beside him. "We'll tell you, you'll want to know just like they do."

Fred was slightly angry at his brothers, he hadn't done this to them, he'd waited for them to get back from their honeymoon before even asking.

"Ron, Hermione is like a little sister to me, and Harry, Ginny is my little sister," Fred said knowing his older brothers were going to mock the two young men after he left, "I'm not going to want to hear about that," he said before tickling the pear and walking into the kitchen.

He walked out with a tray of food to see his brothers still there, "You do realize how extremely strange this is for all of you, even if we are Weasley's. Also, this is my honeymoon, go away." He walked away and they didn't follow him.

He walked back up to the dormitory room and climbed into the bed after shedding his robes.

"Oy, love," he said as he pulled the tray of food off the nightstand and onto his lap.

"Oy," she said with a laugh, she loved to mock his British slang and accent.

She snuggled up to him, her bare skin warm against his own. He felt his body tingle as he fed her a piece of fresh pear. "How are you?" he asked lovingly. George had told him that Katie hadn't been able to walk or sit properly the day after their wedding, it had been torture trying to get her to aparate to the inn in France.

"Well," she said drawing her word out as if she was about to go into a long speech. "Lovely," she said before kissing him on the cheek.

Fred laughed, "Good, you want to go for a run?" he asked taunting her.

She looked at him and stuck her tongue out at him. He smiled and kissed her nose before placing a piece of pear to her lips. She wiggled again, trying to get as close as she could to his body, "It's so cold in here," she said trying to give him an excuse for why she wanted to be close to him.

She let him feed her the rest of the pear before wiggling again, he knew she wanted him to wrap his arms around her, she always stopped wiggling when he did that. He set the tray aside and scooted down under the covers. He wrapped his arms around her and felt her body shift as she lay on his chest once again, her body off to one side.

"Ani," Fred said softly, "are you in pain?" he sounded so mature, like a Fred who was firm and always calm and serious, but Ani could still sense the silly Fred inside, radiating from his chest and warming her.

"Yes," she laughed. She didn't want it to be a serious thing, she wanted it to be their usual banter, the way they always were, except when Fred told her how much he loved her. He could play a prank on her and then a second later be stone-faced as he told her he cared for her. He would joke with her when he told her too, sometimes saying he loved her in the middle of a pillow fight, or as he watched her study, or as she made him something to eat.

"I'm sorry," Fred said softly. He was sorry for hurting her, he almost felt bad, like he shouldn't have done that too her.

Ani kissed his chest where her head was resting, "Freddy," she said jokingly before being as serious as he sometimes was, "don't be sorry, last night was so amazing." He ran his hand over her hair, "I don't think last night could've been any more perfect if it had been a dream."

Fred leaned forward and kissed her head softly, "You are a dream," he said softly. They were silent then, Fred holding Ani tightly, hoping his grip on her could make her pain subside.

"Fred," Ani said after they had lain together for a while, "why'd you want to get married here?" she asked curiously. She wanted to know about his past, something he'd brushed off. Maybe now since they were married, he would let her in, tell her what his life had been like before they met.

"A few reasons," he said with a smile, he'd planned so many things, telling her he was a wizard after showing her a unicorn, showing her the small area of swamp that he and George had created so long ago, flying around the quidditch pitch with her on his broom, showing her the Prefect bathroom with the swimming pool sized bathtub, sneaking into Snape's office and making her his favorite potion, a sweet drink that made the drinker feel almost completely weightless, lay out and look at the stars, do so many great things that they could only do at Hogwarts, "I just wanted things to be perfect," he paused, "for you."

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AN: You've taken the time to read... so please review!


	12. Studies

**Studies**  
_Chapter 12_

Fred lead Ani down the stairs slowly, his heart beating fast, he was finally going to show Ani the wizarding world, or at least a glimpse of it. There was a blindfold covering her eyes but she felt safe with Fred guiding her, their arms interlocked as he carefully led her along. She trusted him enough not to worry about falling down the steps or tripping over something, even though she knew Fred was the one to enjoy one falling down the steps.

She smiled widely, the warm air blowing across her face as soon as they stepped out of the castle. They walked over the grass, the ground still soft from the rain. It felt so nice to be with Fred, even if she couldn't see him.

He finally stopped her and she felt his chest against her back. She wondered what he was going to show her, a picnic on a blanket, or maybe he'd gotten horses and they could ride through the forest together. She wouldn't mind just walking through the forest, it seemed so mysterious and so beautiful, the way it seemed to always be filled with fog.

She felt his hands fumble with the blindfold and as it fell from her eyes she was in disbelief. She was staring at a horse, no two, sort of. There was a man too; he looked rugged as he stood behind the brown horse with no shirt on. She looked closer, he was the brown horse.

Fred waited for Ani to move or say something, for her to show some emotion as she stared at Firenze and a unicorn. They looked phenomenal, the pure white of the unicorn accented by the dark brown coat of Firenze's body.

She took a step forward; something that he thought was good. She wasn't afraid; she was going to take this like the secret about his family.

She stepped back bumping into him and almost falling. He caught her by her elbows and she looked up at him. She had tears in her eyes; she looked terrified and angry at the same time. She broke free from Fred's tight grip and pushed passed him. She started to run away, stumbling to her knees and climbing back up before Fred decided to chase her. He ran after her, unable to catch her, but following so that when she stopped he'd be there.

She ran into the castle, unsure where to go, not knowing how to get away from Fred, how to loose him in the corridors. She ran until she thought she couldn't run any more, and then she continued to run, her breath labored. Finally, a picture opened to reveal a hole like that of the Gryffindor common room, but she knew it wasn't the same. She ran in, the picture shutting quickly behind her.

Fred arrived at the painting, it was shut and the Fat Lady was in the painting, looking rather disapproving of him.

"Please, let me in," he pleaded knowing he was wasting time, he knew she was terrified, in complete shock. "Please," he pleaded again, his voice desperate, he couldn't let her cry, and it was his fault. "I have to talk to her," his voice even more desperate.

The painting finally swung open and Fred walked into the room, trying to stay calm. She was watching, waiting for him to come in. She'd heard him calling her name as they ran, his footsteps falling just meters behind his, his breath just as labored. She'd pushed her terror down and it was replaced by anger, anger at him, anger at the animals she'd just seen, anger over everything.

"You ruined my life!" she yelled harshly. It was like a slap in the face to Fred. He felt the sting in his heart, it was his fault she felt this way, he knew it. He hadn't meant to hurt her; he'd meant to amaze her. He thought she'd feel like a little girl again, seeing a unicorn and a centaur, like all her dreams had come true. She wasn't done screaming, "All that time, and money, the work, useless and ruined!"

School, school meant more to her than him. More than the love they shared, this was worse than a slap across the face, it was like someone had ripped his heart out and thrown it to the ground. He felt the searing pain, like a knife twisting slowly in his heart.

"B-but, Ani, your dreams, they're your dreams," he stammered. He couldn't yell at her, he still loved her; she was still so much more to him than words could break. He wasn't angry yet, just hurt.

"Hasn't anything ever been a shock to you?" she yelled still feeling angry, no matter how much his words had appealed to her heart. "Or do you know everything?"

Fred's eyes were tearing now, he couldn't ignore the pain in his heart, "It shocked me when you placed your studies above me," he said bitterly. He hadn't meant to sound so bitter, to feel so angry about her comments, knowing she was only angry and terrified.

"You could've told me!" she yelled back not caring that she'd just broken his heart into a million pieces. She was so angry and scared everything faded away, her interest in the beasts by the forest had ebbed into nothing, her immense love for Fred was blocked out.

"No!" he spat angrily before forcing himself to calm down, he couldn't get angry and expect her to listen to him. He had to be the friendly man she'd fallen in love with, "If I'd told you, you wouldn't remember, you'd have reacted the same, but you wouldn't remember.

"Ani, I love you more than the grass loves the sun and my love will out live the stars in the sky," his words were so heartfelt, so loving that they started to break through the anger and the fright. He was getting into her, breaking into the woman she was, the woman that had been pushed down because of her fear.

"How could I go on like that? How could we go on like that? I would know all the anger, the pain, the fear, but we would never have the time to work past it, and you," he paused taking a breath trying to fight back the tears, "you wouldn't know. My love would go on, surpassing even the end of the world, the end of time, but living everyday knowing we hadn't worked past that, it would kill me."

The tears fell, they weren't the weepy tears of a broken hearted teenager, but simple glimmering tears of a man whose heart had been broken, not beyond repair, but still broken. A hug from her, a soft kiss, a smile, those things would heal it, but not until she realized that her anger wasn't the answer.

"How could I forget?" she asked her voice soft as her anger started to fade.

"Ani," he said wiping the tears from his cheeks, "there's another world out there," his words were passionate as he pointed fervently to nowhere in particular. "A world you know nothing about, a world that you grew up thinking was just a fairy tale, but its real, love."

She didn't accept it yet, he hadn't said the right words, the anger was gone but not the fear. He looked at her, he could still see that adventurous world in her eyes, behind the fear it was there, the curiosity for things unknown.

"Ani, you're not that girl," he said his words still passionate, "you're not the girl to let things pass you by. You want to know, to know the hidden secrets that lie behind every corner, under every stone. You can't go by living your life without knowing what's really out there."

She didn't speak, she didn't say a word, but Fred knew he'd broken through. The fear was gone, but she was still upset. Her eyes were glassy but she couldn't look at him. She couldn't look him in the eye, not yet.

"They're not," she said softly, so softly he couldn't hear her.

He took a few steps closer to her, the distance that had seemed so short when they'd been angry, seems so far now.

Ani was afraid she'd never have her Fred back, after what she'd said, how could she? She'd been so mean, she'd screamed at him, told him her career meant more than him, but it didn't. He was her world, like she revolved around him. He was the only one she felt safe with, the only one she'd ever loved, the only one for her, and she'd broken his heart.

"What did you say?" he asked his words so kind. Had he forgotten her angry screams already? No, it was just Fred, friendly loveable Fred caring more about everyone than himself. She wanted to cry, to throw herself into his arms and sob uncontrollably, but she couldn't, she'd hurt him to bad to expect him to comfort her.

"They're not," she said a little louder. He had no idea what she meant, he was confused, completely and utterly confused.

He took a few more steps towards her, "What's not?" he asked waiting for his Ani to return, the happy Ani that he couldn't resist, the Ani that could stop the pain he was feeling from the words she'd uttered in anger.

"My studies, they're not more important than you," she said softly. She'd done it; she'd admitted why she couldn't look into his blue eyes that always seemed to see straight through her, she knew they'd be able to see the guilt from those words. She'd felt it as soon as the words had left her lips.

"Yeah?" he asked, he wanted her to say yes, to go on and on about how much she loved him like a little school girl, to act like one of the relentless girls that came to the store, to never give up on trying to win his heart back, even if she still had it.  
"Yeah," her words were still soft, still guilty. She finally looked at him, right into his blue eyes. She saw the same adventurous world he saw, the same curiosity, she loved it, but it too was clouded by something that day, pain, pain that she'd caused. "You're my world."

She fought back tears, he wasn't going to forgive her, he was going to be angry with her for the rest of their lives, he'd never be able to forgive her, he'd never forget, he'd never heal.

She didn't know at that moment the pain was almost gone, waiting for her smile before it left. It wanted to see the happiness in her before being defeated, wanted to hear all the feelings she had for him, before shutting the door.

Fred closed the distance, their bodies brushing as one of his hands gripped her chin softly. He tiled her head up, their eyes still locked, "Am I?" he asked. He wanted to hear it again, wanted to know it was true, that he hadn't heard wrong.

"Yes," she said, "you're my world, you're the air I breathe, the breeze on my face, you're everything to me."

"Yeah?" he asked a small smile playing on his lips. He waited for her to say yes, waited for her to smile like she always did. He knew his smile could bring a smile to her lips, but would it now? Could it?

"Yeah," she confirmed before the smile showed itself, it was there, even if just faintly.

He kissed her and shocks flew through their bodies. Their lips moved slowly and in synch with each other, like to the beat of a song. Their tongues touched, and the shocks flew that had never stopped flew more fervently. They felt the world stop and fade away as they stood, their arms pulling each other closer.

Their lips drew apart and they looked into each other's eyes, Fred's pain gone, his heart repaired from her smile, her kiss, her love. He twirled her around, both of them laughing happily. He hadn't told her he was a wizard, but she knew at least about part of his world. They'd gotten over the first hurdle; the others seemed much shorter now.

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AN: You've taken the time to read... so please review!


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